Burnett, who operates two 60-bail rotary milking platforms for 700 cows near Invercargill, now has the system in both sheds.
DairyNZ says teat spraying helps reduce bacteria numbers on teat skin after milking, keeps teat skin supple and healthy and reduces the risk of new infections by 50% in lactating cows.
“You don’t have to keep mixing up teat spray. It doesn’t run out and there’s no mess mixing it up – that’s a real bonus.”
“It certainly saves time and is one less job to do in the shed.
“The biggest advantage is sometimes you could run out halfway through milking and if you haven’t got somebody on cups-off, it might not be noticed until the next milking. You haven’t got those issues, there’s always going to be teat spray there all the time.
“If I was building another dairy I would definitely put it in, simple as that.
DeLaval milk quality and animal health solutions manager Brad White says mixing teat spray is one of those essential jobs on a dairy farm that many farmers could do without having to worry about, especially those with staff.
“Research has shown that poorly mixed teat spray contributes directly to increased cases of mastitis."
The research by Adrian Joe and Steve Cranefield surveyed 200 farms and found 33% did not mix teat spray correctly.
The DeLaval systems mix teat spray, water and emollient on demand at the same ratio all the time, every time. It is collected in an onboard reservoir. Once the level in the reservoir goes below a certain level, it is automatically refilled, even during milking.
Changing the mixing ratio is as easy as removing a pre-calibrated mixing tip and replacing it with a different one.
For more information visit www.delaval.co.nz.
